Furuki's big blast propels Giants

by Rob Smaal (Jul 3, 2008)

Shigeyuki Furuki smacked a two-run home run in the eighth inning
Wednesday at Tokyo Dome, giving the Yomiuri Giants a come-from-behind
7-5 win over the Yakult Swallows.

Furuki, who started the game on the bench and didn't swing a bat
until the seventh inning, launched his game-deciding shot to right
field off Swallows reliever Takehiko Oshimoto (2-2), who ended up
taking the loss.

The Giants entered the eighth down 5-3, but Yoshinobu
Takahashi--another late-game entry--hit an RBI single to narrow the
margin before Takuya Kimura's sacrifice fly to left off Oshimoto tied
it up. That set the stage for Furuki, whose home run was his third of
the season.

"I was just trying to get a hit there, but luckily I got a home
run," said Furuki. "It was nice to hit it into the right-field stands,
where our fans were cheering so loud and hard."

Furuki's tater made a winner of Koji Uehara, who relieved starter
Adrian Burnside to start the seventh. Despite picking up his first win
of the season, Uehara (1-4) had a horrible outing, allowing three runs
(one earned) on six hits in two innings.

Giants closer Marc Kroon picked up his 20th save, but not before
making it interesting. Kroon gave up two hits, but got Hiroyasu Tanaka
to ground out with runners at second and third.

Hayato Sakamoto was 3-for-3 for the Giants with three singles and a walk.

Norichika Aoki and Wilson Valdez had three hits each for Yakult, with Wilson getting his first home run in Japan.

The Giants struck first, getting a pair of runs in the home half of
the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles by Kazunari Tsuruoka and
Sakamoto off Swallows starter Kyohei Muranaka.

In the top of the fifth, Swallows newcomer Valdez led off the
inning by dialing long distance, a solo shot to left off Burnside. A
sacrifice fly to right by Kazuhiro Hatakeyama in the sixth scored
Shinya Miyamoto, who had reached earlier in the inning on an error
charged to second baseman Manabu Iwadate.

Uehara replaced Burnside to start the seventh and Valdez led off
the inning with a double, but was later thrown out trying to advance to
third on a groundball hit back to Uehara. Three batters later, veteran
infielder Miyamoto lashed an RBI single up the middle. Yomiuri
center-fielder Yoshitomo Tani's throw home was off target as
pinch-runner Kazuki Fukuchi raced home with the go-ahead run.

The Giants tied it 3-3 in the bottom half when Tani dribbled a
little squibber down the third-base line that was fielded by reliever
Kenichi Matsuoka. His throw to first was high, however, pulling
Hatakeyama off the bag and allowing Kimura to trot home with the tying
run.

Giants manager Tatsunori Hara elected to start an all right-handed
hitting lineup against lefty Muranaka. Among the regular starters left
on the bench to start the game were right-fielder Takahashi and first
baseman Michihiro Ogasawara, who combined to strike out seven times in
Tuesday's 7-4 loss to Yakult.